Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Day 266: 1/12/1995 New York, NY

Nearly seven years after their well-received set at the Atlantic Recordsfortieth anniversary concert, the surviving members of Led Zeppelin have come together on the occasion of the band's induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Following the awards presentation, the band, joined once again by Jason Bonham on drums, along with Aerosmith's Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, takes the stage for a loosely structured jam session. The set begins with Page tearing into the familiar opening chords of Train Kept a Rollin'. Plant and Tyler share vocal duties as the band haphazardly chugs along through the old favorite. Page and Perry trade licks during the guitar solo near the end of the song, which is followed by an abbreviated rendition of the Yardbirds classic For Your Love.

As the song ends, Page launches directly into the rock section of Bring it on Home. He then gets the band into a laid-back blues improvisation featuring references to Muddy Waters favorite Long Distance Call, among others. Following an excellent guitar solo from Page, Plant leads the band into an impromptu rendition of Baby Please Don't Go, which includes hints ofBoogie Chillen' before a blistering guitar solo from Perry. After an intermission, the band, now joined by Michael Lee on drums and Neil Young on second guitar, returns to the stage to end the night with an extended heavy jam based on When the Levee Breaks. Following the initial verses, Plant picks up Page's spare Les Paul as Young tears through an erratic guitar solo. Plant sings a verse of For What it's Worth toward the end of the song. The crowd full of music industry heavyweights erupts as the set comes to a close.

The tape is an excellent television broadcast with the exception of Train Kept a Rollin'/For You Love, which was recorded but not included in the final MTV presentation.